Update: New Fallout 3 DLC Broken, Again

Reports have flooded the inter-tubes from irritated PC gamers who are unable to install the latest Fallout 3 DLC, Broken Steel.

Broken Steel? More like, Broken DLC, ha!

...right, sorry. Anyway, it seems like Bethesda really can't catch a break with Fallout 3's DLC. First, PC gamers reported that installing Operation Anchorage was "like giving birth". Then, while the PC version of The Pitt launched with nary a hiccup, the Xbox 360 version had to be re-launched not once, not twice, but three times before it all went smoothly.

This time around, it seems that the pendulum has swung back in the opposite direction, with PC fans feeling the sting: After downloading the files, the installation stops and displays an error message: "Not a cryptographic message or the cryptographic message is not formatted correctly. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x8009200D)." Now, for those of you who don't speak Computer Error, this is essentially a fancy way of saying "YOU DANG SCREWED SOMETHING UP, SON."

The problem was first reported on the Bethesda forums, and the company is aware of the issue. Hell, they're getting it too - Bethesday poster Dermont admitted, "Note I am even getting the same issue :" in response to player concerns.

It might not be all Bethesda's fault, though, to be fair. The PC updates are delivered through Microsoft's Games for Windows Live program, and that's hardly error-free. Even so, it feels like they really ought to test these things more thoroughly next time. Once is a simple mistake, twice is a bit less understandable - three times? It's almost comical at this point.

Update: Yep, it's a Games for Windows Live problem. Bethesda's Pete Hines told Kotaku: "We're seeing the same error folks have reported, which is a Games for Windows Live DRM install error. Microsoft is working on fixing it, and we'll let everyone know once we've verified it." Unfortunately, it seems that 360 owners are having their own issues, with some reportedly unable to activate Project Purity. D'oh.

(Joystiq)